do you put your children in kids clubs while on hols?

[goodbyemrschips]

As in the title ''do you put your kids in kids clubs while on hols, if yes why and if no why?

No. Haven't really thought about why but we've not considered it and doubt we will in the future, and the DC haven't asked either. We don't tend to go to places with kids clubs though.

Absolutely, usually for a couple of hours after lunch to get them out of the heat of the day, but ONLY if they want to go, which they always do. They ask to go. Me and hubby get no time to ourselves in non holiday time, no-one has our DC for sleepovers, or takes them for tea or to the park so I do not feel guilty enjoying a few quiet hours in the sun with my husband once a year. We need it!

A bit (though haven't been abroad on hol with DS only UK) becuase he enjoys it. He's an only child and enjoys playing with the other kids. Also I don't tend to take with me a full set of circus equipment, modelling clay, paints, paper, mask-making supplies, full costumes of Peppa and George Pig, long balloons and blower uppers and a set of magicians equipment when we go away for a week.

Its not child care. Its his holiday too so its just as much about what he wants to do as what I want to do.

Nope, wouldn't use them. Training and safety ( CRB) checks vary from country to country. I wouldn't risk it. :)

Holidays are for ha ving fun together anyway IMO

I used to work in a nursery, and one day a mother brought her 3 year old son back after a week away on a family holiday. I asked if he'd had a nice time. Mum replied, "oh yes, I think so. We barely saw each other really as he was in the kids' club all week." I thought that was quite sad. This little boy was in full time childcare 8.30 - 5.30 all week, and when his parents had him to themselves for a week they were still happy for him to be in childcare all week!

I do think there's a difference between children choosing to do activities on holiday and children being put into the club because it suits the parents. Older children often get a lot out of the different activities, which is fair enough.

On a slightly related note, I also think it's quite sad when people choose to always go away with another family, so are never on their own with just their kids. Of course going with others can be lovely, but I know people that literally never go away unless another family go with them. One family, with 2 teenage boys and a younger daughter haven't had a close relationship with their boys since they were about 5 and 6, so family holidays might have helped the relationship. But they always go with other adults, and spend every day with them, so the boys just mooch about on their own. I think that's sad.

My parents always took us on holidays where there weren't any kid's clubs (worthy, interesting or isolated destinations). Whilst delightful in one way (I read a LOT) tbh I would have preferred to have access to other children to play with rather than just be with my parents all the time. A kids club would have been great.

As other posters have said, a holiday should be for everyone to get to do a bit of what they like. If children want to go to kids clubs, then fine. If they don't, then fine.

I don't understand this "holiday time is so precious, I couldn't possibly let little Tarquin be parted from me for a nanosecond".

YES! Always. The DC adore them and moan if we want to go away where there are not clubs to go to. We still see plenty of them as club tends to be 2 or 3 hours in the morning and same again in the afternoon, and sometimes they skip sessions - in fact often once they have made friends, they go off with their friends instead. They so don't want us hanging around.

Sigh, perhaps we are not normal. It never occurred to me pre MN that adults would want to spend every waking moment with their DC when they could sit and read a good book, or play a game of tennis or swim a few lengths for an hour or two to recover from the 5.30am start! Also, the DC have always had a great time.

We had a Monday-Friday Nanny and a Saturday Nanny when they were little. Go on, flame me.

BTW now they are teens, I would love their company and may arrange a holiday this year where there is no childcare .

Hmmm...all four of their GPs were brought up solely by nannies so perhaps it is just normal in our families. The PILs still wouldn't dream of having a conversation with a child.

Mum replied, "oh yes, I think so. We barely saw each other really as he was in the kids' club all week." I thought that was quite sad. This little boy was in full time childcare 8.30 - 5.30 all week, and when his parents had him to themselves for a week they were still happy for him to be in childcare all week!

That's so sad! What's the point of having children if they spend all their waking hours even when on holiday in childcare!

"What's the point of having children if they spend all their waking hours even when on holiday in childcare!" - so that they can look after you when you are old.

No. We both work FT and I really enjoy the dc's company and miss seeing them :). If we happened to go somewhere where there were clubs, I wouldn't stop them going and would ask if they wanted to and they may pick a session or two but normally when we go on holiday, we all want to spend time with each other.

I have a Saturday nanny too - dh...

I really think though that if they love activities and you love lazing by the pool then pack them off to a really good kids activity camp for a week or on the school ski trip or whatever if you've that sort of school and you go and do what you want - then at least you're not pretending to have a family holiday - and you havent suffered the hell on earth of the flight and airport with them as well...

When we were children we used to go on holiday to a chalet on a holiday camp place and were just let go from about the age of 7 - no kids clubs just making friends and hanging out in arcades/on the beach/playground but at least we had the choice about what we did all day.

and just to add, as a single paretn it is nice to have someone else entertaining him for a change but will ususally only be for a couple of hours a day and often I have to stay anyway as parents have to accompany under 11 (I htink). Nice to read a book and drink a coffee though.

mine are older now anyway. If we are at a beach (which our holidays would normally entail), they will totally occupy themselves all day anyway. Either building loads of castles and dams and rivers or swimming or playing cricket etc. Can't remember what we did when they were babies/toddlers but I seem to remember we didn't do that many holidays then (too much hassle!).

it's one of these each to their own surely..

omnishambles - you do go in for extremes, don't you? Either spend every waking moment of the holiday with DC or pack 'em off on a completely separate holiday to the parents

We don't "pretend" to have a "family" holiday. DD goes to kid's club for a couple of hours in the morning is she wants to - which she invariably does. Then she's with us by the pool or at the beach for the rest of the day. Sometimes in the afternoon she'll go to for an hour in the Drop-In Den with a friend she's made. And she's been to a couple of evening parties (her choice) whilst DH and I have - gasp! horror! - gone for a pizza together.

How is our holiday less of a family one than yours? Oh and she sleeps in the same room as us so she's with us for that eight hours as well, so ner ner

I really don't understand why having DC would preclude parents reading, swimming etc.

Don't your DC read? Can't they swim?

loftclodflop - yep am all about the extremes today, think I've had too much sugar.

I think its because that sort of holiday doesnt appeal (and we cant afford it) - I couldnt bear the dc being in the same room for a start so we dont go to hotels - I get no sleep like that so its villas all the way with the obvious lack of kids clubs.

I've been thinking about this and when I was a kid, my parents took me camping. In those days there were no kids clubs, but that didn't mean I spent all of my time with them. From what I recall I spent a lot of time avoiding them in the pool or cycling or exploring and playing with the other children on the camp site while my folks got on with whatever else they were doing.

A lot of people have a mixture of activities on holiday and I don't think you have to spend every moment with your children for it to be a good family holiday.

wordfactory - don't you remember the first five years (at least) when they can't read independently (or do anything much else independently), and certainly can't be trusted unsupervised anywhere near a swimming pool? That's when kids clubs come into their own...

Now mine are older, yes, they can swim and read etc, and I wouldn't need to rely on childcare to get five minutes' peace on holiday.

Well stating the obvious but toddlers don't read, swim (alone) or amuse themselves for more than a few minutes at a time. And you can only fit in so many toys when packing for a holiday, which makes it harder to keep them entertained, especially when there's more than one of different ages and they can't both do the same things.

We spend plenty of time with them on holiday, we take them swimming (but can't "swim" properly ourselves, as the whole time is spent watching/holding them), for walks, to the beach and for various other "family" activities, but sometimes would like a couple of hours to just relax, read, sunbathe, swim properly, have an adult conversation, do activities or whatever instead of being towed around in 2 different directions by the DCs. So as long as they are happy there and the care available is good, I don't see any problem with putting them in kids' club for a few hours some days.

x-posts exexpat

Mine have enjoyed a couple of hours at the eurocamp kids clubs Esp when the weather has been pants. they are 8 & 6

We tend to spend most holiday time together as we self cater with camping or villa holidays. That said dh's parents have the children for a week each year & dh and I go away on our own.

Slightly ot but This year grandad is coming to stay at ours while they go to school and we go to the USA for 9 nights. It's our 10th wedding anniversary so we are treating ourselves. Have to say there has been quite a lot of jugeyness from other mums that know about us going for that long. However happy parents make happy kids (I hope) and also the hard part of childrearing only takes 20ish years - our marriage should last 50. We have 4 other holidays or camping trips booked this year so it's not like they are going without.

"I really don't understand why having DC would preclude parents reading, swimming etc" I guess I had this stupid thing where I thought I had to watch them by the pool when they couldn't swim well rather than bury my nose in a book or swim 50 lengths which are two things I love doing on holiday. I agree with other OPs that a couple of hours of kids club does not make it less of a family holiday - there are plenty of hours in the day, and some of the activities laid on are great fun.

No, they are too expensive, although I am sure ds would love them. If I need childcare during school holidays for my work, I use the After School Club at DSs school, which also runs a holiday club over the holidays, and you can claim back tax credits for it the same as other official OFSTEDed childcare.

As for holidays abroad, DS is seven and I hav enever been in a position to take him away, let alone put him in a holiday club, though I think it is a good idea.